Photo by Amber Thomas
Amber and Kadi - Brush Box
Kadijha Jones (left) and Amber Thomas (right).
Art heals, and that is precisely why Amber Thomas and Kadijha Jones believe that arts and crafts should be accessible and affordable to anyone, regardless of age or status. “At any level, you can create something, even if you’re one year old or you’re an elder with fine motor issues,” Thomas affirms. The two share thoughtfully curated art kits, activities and events with Milwaukee and beyond by way of their business Brush Box, driven by its mission to help others find joy and healing through autonomous creativity. Since its launch in 2020, Brush Box has worked with community partners like Milwaukee Art Museum, Mount Mary University, Islands of Brilliance, ACLU of Wisconsin, NextDoor Milwaukee and many others.
As an art therapist, Thomas recognizes that making art accessible means breaking down what it means to make art. She notes how even the simple act of ripping paper to make a collage can be therapeutic. “Half my job is convincing people that they should create,” Thomas elaborates. “People associate our business with children—and yes, we do serve a lot of younger people - but anybody can make art, even if it’s something you do for fun that you never think about again, because the artistic process is healing.”
Jone adds, “It also means recognizing how art is part of every moment of our lives. I do a lot of habit-tracking, so I create a lot of calendars for myself, or I’ll create a punch card for my goals for the month. It’s not always about the end product but taking whatever is in your imagination and putting it into physical form and being present in the moment. Even if you crumple it up and throw it away, maybe you let it be a reminder that you needed to reflect and process.”
Custom Kits
Photo by Amber Thomas
Brush Box - Greendale Elementary superhero event
Brush Box at Greendale Elementary for a superhero-themed event
Brush Box adapts each art kit or activity to who they work with. For example, one kit might have bigger tools for someone who cannot hold small ones, or another may not contain certain materials due to someone having a sensory issue. Customizable creative catalysts like bead soups, slimes, paper flowers, junk journals and fidgets are available for sale via the Brush Box website.
Thomas and Jones met as RA’s [resident assistants] at Alverno College. With art therapy, Thomas found she could combine her passion for helping others with creative expression. Jones had always been interested in writing and poetry, but meeting Thomas got her also dabbling in arts and crafts. “Amber would show me all her supplies in her dorm and would take me to Michaels [arts and crafts store],” Jones remembers. “It got me comfortable finding and sourcing things to create art.”
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Years later, when Covid hit, Thomas found herself among many who sought out new hobbies and creative outlets. “People were ordering subscription art boxes, and I wondered if I could make one,” she recalls. “Kadijha and I had recently reconnected and I told her I had this idea, and she said she thought it was cool and wanted to do it with me.’’
Virtual Art Program
Next thing they knew, Thomas and Jones were co-facilitating a virtual art program that would eventually become Brush Box. “The first kit we ever sold was build-your-own-superhero,” Thomas remembers. “It was based on me making superheroes with my clients so that they knew they had strengths and that it was OK to have a weakness, and that they should build a community around themselves.”
Fast forward to now, Brush Box has partnered with more than 50 organizations and has products in a myriad of local stores, including Bronzeville Collective MKE, Milwaukee Makers Marketplace, Swoon, Mixed Bag MKE, Frankie’s Gift Shop, Kujichagulia Producer Co-Op in Sherman Phoenix and Maxilyn House in Racine. “The majority of our business has been word-of-mouth, and a lot of our growth has been based in our community believing in us,” Thomas attests.
Thomas and Jones are assisted by a team consisting of art therapist Yuliana Iniguez and yoga practitioner/art therapist Haley Fuhr. “We also just hired my friend Tiffany to help us develop kits for the holiday season,” Thomas mentions. Brush Box is currently involved in several recurring programs, including art therapy during Empower Hour at St. Joan Antida High School as well as a pre-teen girls social group at CLARA Healing Institute. Thomas and Jones can also be found with Brush Box at local vendor markets and will be at Hover Craft on December 7.
The two hope for Brush Box to eventually have its own brick-and-mortar space. “My dream would be to have daily drop-in programming like after school programming for kids or running community groups,” Thomas contends. “People could rent us for birthday parties, or we could do more wholesale ordering. I would also love for us to build connections with local schools.”
